MAKEBI ZULU SETS TONE FOR UNITY AND CALLS FOR ZAMBIA’S “SECOND INDEPENDENCE”

MAKEBI ZULU SETS TONE FOR UNITY AND CALLS FOR ZAMBIA’S “SECOND INDEPENDENCE”

By Brian Matambo | Sandton, South Africa

Makebi Zulu made an immediate media appearance after being unveiled as the new President of the Patriotic Front Party in Lusaka on Sunday, 22 March 2026. The Patriotic Front Party was founded in 2001 by the late President Michael Chilufya Sata, who died in 2014. The late former President Dr Edgar Chagwa Lungu then took over and led the party until his death in June 2025.

Makebi Zulu, who is also a former Member of Parliament for Malambo Constituency and a former Minister for Eastern Province, is the spokesperson for the Lungu family. Since the death of former President Lungu, Makebi Zulu has stood by the family. When Makebi Zulu returned to Lusaka to run his campaign for president, Makebi Zulu was called names such as Chola Boy and Malukula and was insulted by UPND cadres for standing with the Lungu family.

But when Makebi Zulu finally spoke after his election, the tone was not bitter. It was measured, unifying, and deliberate.

Appearing live on Ambassador Emmanuel Mwamba’s platform, Makebi Zulu used his first interview not to boast about victory, but to define what it should mean for the Patriotic Front and for the country. He described his election as a journey of healing, a phrase that captured both the condition of the party and the task now before him.

That emphasis was important. The Patriotic Front has gone through years of internal strain, defections, legal disputes, and leadership battles. At one stage, eleven aspirants were associated with the race for the top position. By the time voting came, the field had narrowed, but the perception of division remained. Makebi Zulu’s first assignment, therefore, was to calm the waters. He did exactly that.

Rather than diminishing the men he defeated, Makebi Zulu praised them. He made it clear that leadership did not mean he was greater than the rest. He described the position as that of a first among equals, and in so doing signalled that the PF would need every serious hand if it is to regain its footing and prepare for the larger national contest ahead.

One of the most memorable moments of the interview came from a caller in Rome, Father Pombo, who invoked the Japanese philosophy of Kintsugi, the art of repairing broken pottery with gold. The point was plain. The Patriotic Front may be cracked, but it need not remain broken. Makebi Zulu embraced the image and said he would like to be the glue that holds the clay cup together. It was a sharp and effective response. In a single phrase, Makebi Zulu positioned himself as a man of repair rather than division.

From there, Makebi Zulu widened the conversation beyond party recovery and into the national crisis facing Zambia. He framed the 2026 struggle as one for a Second Independence. By that, Makebi Zulu meant a new political culture, entailing moving away from the politics of vengeance, division, persecution, and prosecution to turn a new page for the country. Bringing back freedom of speech for citizens. Ensuring that the cost of living is lowered. And ensuring that the resources owned by the country actually work for the benefit and well-being of the Zambian people, rather than being drained away or working for the well-being of other countries

Makebi Zulu also struck at the current style of governance, arguing that a country cannot be run as a mere balance sheet while citizens are sinking under the weight of hardship. He asked the questions that now dominate ordinary life in Zambia: have people eaten, have they accessed capital, and have their lives genuinely improved? It was one of the strongest parts of his appearance because it moved the conversation from political theatre to lived reality.

There was the usual constitutional edge to Makebi Zulu’s message. He spoke about restoring respect for human rights, ensuring that institutions of governance serve the people, and changing the Constitution so that presidential power is restrained by law. That matters because it gives his message shape. Makebi Zulu is not only trying to emerge as a party leader. Makebi Zulu is trying to define himself as a reform candidate.

He also made a clear appeal for wider opposition unity. According to Makebi Zulu, Zambia does not need scattered opposition voices pulling in different directions while the country’s problems deepen. Zambia needs a serious and coordinated alternative. That message was later reinforced by the Patriotic Front Council of Elders, which welcomed the election of Makebi Zulu and expressed confidence that his leadership would restore confidence and energy in the party while helping foster togetherness in the opposition.

What emerged from this first appearance was simple. Makebi Zulu wanted to steady his party, reassure supporters, and present himself as a leader with both restraint and purpose. It was not a victory lap. It was an opening statement.

Makebi Zulu, to many, represents a breath of fresh air, an opportunity to finish building the National House of Prayer, which is Zambia’s symbol of the declaration of Zambia as a Christian nation. At only 44, Makebi Zulu is expected to unseat Hakainde Hichilema, whose popularity is rapidly fading.